Unself is the third album from Conjurer, following their 2018 debut, Mire, and their 2022 sophomore release, Páthos. This latest release was written and produced against a background not only of the band’s maturation but also in the face of personal challenges faced by vocalist/guitarist Dani Nightingale. Diagnosed with autism at age 31, Unself documents much of the journey of piecing things back together around the diagnosis, alongside the realisation that they were non-binary.
The album also explores themes around the current state of society, its descent towards a glassy-eyed capitalist dystopia, and the suffocating new societal parameters that this brings. Both the opening and closing tracks are based around a repurposing of “This World Is Not My Home”, a century-old gospel song, to explore the sense of not belonging and of being othered.
The opening and title track, “Unself”, begins with an acoustic guitar being strummed mournfully, with the original words to “This World Is Not My Home” being sung lowly and plaintively. About halfway through, a slow fade-in of feedback builds uncomfortably and painfully. This feels like a representation of both the pain being expressed in the original song and a building frustration at the inability of its folksy tweeness to properly express the emotions inherent in the lyrics. As the feedback reaches its apex, the song transforms suddenly into a roaring vocal howl backed by dissonant guitar chords and fracturing feedback, all supported by slow, punching, percussive drums. This is a scream of catharsis; a visceral, primal outpouring of pain and rage pitched as a deliberate and stark contrast to the inadequacy of the original song to perform the same role.
What a way to begin. Strap in, folks, because this sets the tone for much of the album.
The songs on this album have fluid structures, and at times, such as on the second track “All Apart”, the contrasting dynamics feel like assaults that come in waves. Even only halfway through, “All Apart” is already built on multiple layers and harsh contrasts between raspy vocals and those that are cleanly sung, and guitars that vary from briefly acoustic to dissonant and harsh. These contrasts continue during “There Is No Warmth”, although this is a song driven through different passages by different instruments. This creates a darkly distressing and hypnotic mood, particularly where the line “there is no warmth” is rasped as a slow peel alternating with other vocal lines. This builds to an epic finish restating, “This world is not mine”. The varying, almost call-and-response vocal lines continue during “A Searing Glow”, and at one point the song falls away to a bass-driven bridge with quiet whispered vocals. This feels like a respite until the final section hits you square in the face with slow ringing chords, deep growls, and finally a building riff and intense outro.
Whereas previous acoustic sections in tracks offered respite only as a stark contrast or a stage of development within a song, “A Plea” is acoustic throughout. First picked, then strummed, it continues with supporting percussion and spoken Spanish in the background. The spoken words become slightly more assertive and imploring, suggesting that this is, indeed, a plea.
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“Let Us Live” also starts acoustically with gently sung, imploring vocals until the band crashes in and the vocals revert to being harsh, slow, dense, and doomy. As this section develops, a rolling guitar riff adds depth and atmosphere. Sung vocals ring out at this point, and just when you think they are becoming almost anthemic, they revert to cold, harsh rasps, but the musical crescendo continues before dropping to beaten-out chords, then right back to acoustic guitar followed by an imploring section with vocals barking “Let Us Live” towards the end. This is a song that emphasises its message.
“Hang them in your Head” pulsates throughout. At times the drums perform this role with either emphasised single hits, furious blast beats, or double-bass drums. At other times, the guitars provide this role, and the song culminates in pulsing, dissonant guitars. “Foreclosure” again feels like waves of assault and emotion. Starting acoustically and developing to a slow, brooding pound, the layering and contrasts continue throughout the song, ending with a low, brooding passage of alternating harsh, rasping vocals and low growls before a final intense finale.
“This World Is Not My Home” is reprised as the final track on the album in a further reinterpretation from the opening track. Again, the track begins with acoustic guitar and sung vocals, and again the rage kicks in. This time, however, the mixture of lead guitar and sung vocals towards the end of the track feel more redemptive, self-reflective, and suggestive of closure.
Let’s get straight to the point. This is an absolute beast of an album.
Never safe for the listener, it is always musically challenging, emotionally charged, and energetically draining. Song structures are layered, fluidly complex, and have a constant theme of contrast. Vocals range from plaintive mewls, through cold, harsh throat-rasping to deep growls, and are timed to impact the listener to the most telling effect. Occasional acoustic guitars give depth, atmosphere, and betray the listener into moments of respite before dissonant guitar kicks in, whether through heavy strumming, picked chords, or chopped, muted, punched riffs. The drums and bass help build atmosphere, layer song structures, and at times, pummel the listener.
I should also say that the, frankly stunning, album artwork by Dutch musician and artist Joost Vervoort serves as a vivid visual representation of the music: harsh contrasts, fractured layers, and jarring oppositional tones.
This is not easy-listening music. This is challenging, visceral, at times disturbing, unsettling, and downright bloody wonderful at the same time. The absolute epitome of what extreme music can and should be.
Conjurer will be touring Unself across the UK in November, with support from Pijn and Death Goals:
- Nov 09 – Damnation Festival, Manchester (Conjurer only)
- Nov 11 – The Joiners, Southampton
- Nov 12 – The Underworld, London
- Nov 13 – Strange Brew, Bristol
- Nov 14 – Asylum, Birmingham
- Nov 15 – Cathouse, Glasgow
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Unself is released on October 24th via Nuclear Blast Records – pre-order it now
Header photo by Matthieu Gill
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[…] Conjurer – Unself A crushing exercise in post-metal, with deeply personal lyrics, a reimagined version of a century-old Americana gospel song, and a sludgy doomy vibe that begs for multiple listens to really fully feel it in your bones. It’s stunning and you need to listen to it. […]